Once again a treasure trove of information from Baseball America, this time in the form of an article (sorry, subscription required) discussing those prospects whose early-season struggles may have whitewashed the fact that their fortunes are rising once again. Two Yankee farmhands — Jesus Montero and David Phelps — make the list of 10 prospects being noticed for their exemplary work since June 1st:

2. Jesus Montero, c, Yankees (Triple-A Scranton Wilkes-Barre)

Prior to June 1: .229/.307/.357 in 176 PAs
Since June 1: .309/.385/.545 in 187 PAs

Most 20-year-old catchers are still feeling their way through low or high Class A. Montero, on the other hand, opened the year with an aggressive assignment to Triple-A, where after a tough start he’s been one of the best hitters in the International League. A scout who saw Montero this month didn’t see the outstanding raw power than Montero has shown in the past, but noted that Montero consistently drove the ball into the gaps even if he did bail on the breaking ball on occasion.

Phelps stands out more for his command than his stuff, though he does have a plus fastball that ranges from 88-94 mph that he’ll sink and cut at times. His secondary stuff is fringy, but he mixes a slurvy curveball, a short slider and a change with solid sink and throws them all for strikes, making him an option for the back of the rotation or middle-relief work.

I’m certain that most Yankee fans are familiar with Montero but for those that need a refresher course on David Phelps, he got some early-season love here and here. Nice to see these two putting it all together at AAA. Hopefully we see them both in the Bronx before too long.

@ Brent:
Not Phelps. I could see Montero getting the same kind of call-up that Miranda got in 2008/2009 whereby he comes up to soak in the atmosphere, hang around and maybe get a few AB’s in (hopefully) meaningless late-September games. But, no, I don’t see Montero being absolutely called up. I think the Yanks would really rather not entertain Montero as part of the team conversation until next spring.

Phelps is more trade-bait than anything else. But even that is a positive for a guy drafted late who was never expected to amount to anything. I hope he can be part of deal that brings the Yankees something they need and then goes on to a solid career in AAAA, otherwise known as the National League.